Umpteen hours in the airport

Got to the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport at 5am and to our gate with plenty of time to spare for the flight. Boarded and settled in only to have the captain come out and say there was a part being replaced and we’d shove off after everything checked out plus some paperwork.

Fast forward an hour and we’re ready to taxi when the captain reports that nope, we’re heading back to the gate to deplane. The part was faulty.

Every few hours the airline would shift departure by a few hours… the entire day. We camped in a remote corner of the terminal next to electrical outlets and would routinely weigh the options: wait it out and be available, or shift to a flight the following day.

Just as we were about to throw in the towel, we received notification for boarding at 7pm.

We didn’t make it home that night, but we at least got to Atlanta and grabbed a hotel for 5 hours before the final leg.